Brawler
Scholastic Inc | ISBN 9781338157758 Hardcover
320 Pages | 5.7" x 8.55" | Ages 12 & Up
Scholastic Inc | ISBN 9781338157765 Ebook
320 Pages | Ages 12 & Up
Eddie MacIntyre—Mac to a handful of friends—is Pennsylvania’s most promising wrestler. His future is bright with scholarship offers and the dream of helping his struggling mom. But then comes a fateful match at the state championship, when his famous rage consumes him and he assaults a referee. In an instant, Mac loses all he and his mom have worked to build since his abusive father was locked up years ago.
Facing arrest, Mac runs away to another town, where he is taken in by a shady promoter who has followed his career. He recruits Mac into Brawlers, an illegal underground fighting ring run by a gangland boss. This is a bloodsport that has no rules . . . but offers plenty of reward.
Mac teams up with Khajee, a girl with the fighting skills he’ll need to learn to survive . . . and her own dark past tying her to the head of the ring. Together the two must figure out their place in a world that hasn’t been kind to them . . . and forge a future that could be.
Raves & reviews:
Praise for Neil Connelly:
* "Sophisticated... will likely draw readers." — Publishers Weekly, starred review of St. Michael's Scales
"A richly layered, thought-provoking novel of how one boy learns to make weight." — Kirkus Reviews on St. Michael's Scales
* "The power and danger of religion receives a realistic, gutsy — and yet movingly spiritual — examination in this ambitious and graceful drama... A slim book that reads with miraculous speed." — Booklist, starred review of The Miracle Stealer
"A rare and welcome portrait of a girl trying to navigate teenage angst, family dysfunction, and religious belief." — The Horn Book on The Miracle Stealer
"Thoughtful and provocative.... A Category 5 drama." —Kirkus Reviews on Into the Hurricane
* "Sophisticated... will likely draw readers." — Publishers Weekly, starred review of St. Michael's Scales
"A richly layered, thought-provoking novel of how one boy learns to make weight." — Kirkus Reviews on St. Michael's Scales
* "The power and danger of religion receives a realistic, gutsy — and yet movingly spiritual — examination in this ambitious and graceful drama... A slim book that reads with miraculous speed." — Booklist, starred review of The Miracle Stealer
"A rare and welcome portrait of a girl trying to navigate teenage angst, family dysfunction, and religious belief." — The Horn Book on The Miracle Stealer
"Thoughtful and provocative.... A Category 5 drama." —Kirkus Reviews on Into the Hurricane